There
were a few Sachin Tendulkar fans during the 1999 World Cup
who held the big banner that read ‘Cricket is our religion,
Sachin is our God.’ The caption caught on quite well
among Sachin fans worldwide and was seen for quite some time.
Now what is this caption doing in the Dasavatharam preview?
Well, the thought occurs if cinema was religion instead of
cricket, then who would have been God? We know that some of
Kamal’s fans refer to their Thalaivar as Aalwarpettai
Aandavar and yes, if cinema was a religion, Padmasree Dr.
Kamal Haasan would certainly be God.

You
might feel that this might be premature elation considering
that Dasavatharam is still a good three days away from
theaters. But take a look at what has gone into the
making of the movie and you will realize that just the
effort and nothing else is worth celebrating.

One man doing 11 roles, 10 on screen and one off it
(as scriptwriter) is a first in the history of world
cinema. You have heard a lot about the story, probably
more than what you have about any film before its release.
A story that spans 9 centuries and takes you across
the globe on a big adventure and on a canvas so big
that Indian cinema, maybe world cinema, has never witnessed.
Here’s a look at just how big Dasavatharam is.

Dasavatharam – the cast:

One Kamal Haasan in the cast is good enough to make
a movie more than interesting, here we have 10 Kamals
in one movie- the

experience will be something special. Then there is Asin in
the biggest role of her career. Yes, the young lady has already
proved her mettle but this time she is rubbing shoulders with
a legend in every sense of the word. Mallika Sherawath as
the CIA agent, Napolean as Kulothunga Sozhan, Jayapradha and
others.

Dasavatharam-
the technology:

Everything associated with the movie has been given
extraordinary care and no one but the best in the world
have been involved with the movie at each stage. Take
for instance Andy Dixon, the world renowned stunt choreographer
who has to his credit films like Transporter 2. He is
the man behind the reportedly huge stunt sequences.
Michael Westmore, who transformed Jim Carrey into The
Mask, is the one who has handled the make up department.
Six hours a day for Kamal is what was spent only on
make up to get the right look for one of the characters
and it was 4 hours for Napolean. The levels of perfection
can only be imagined. The visual effects, too, had an
expert from Hollywood handling matters: Brayn M Jennings,
an Oscar nominee.

Dasavatharam- the research

When there is history and mythology involved you never want
to take chances because you never know who you might end up
hurting, and some people derive acute pleasure by feeling
that they have been hurt and create a lot of trouble. Dasavatharam
did not want any of this and so brought in the top brains
of the country in history from IIT, Tanjore University etc.
and made sure that the script is foolproof.

Dasavatharam- the firsts:

•
The first film to feature on actor in 10 roles (you already
know that)
• The first film to shoot an Indian metropolis landscape
from a helicopter
• The first Indian film to use a huge man-erected water
reservoir (5 acres) for shooting (probably the Tsunami scene)
• And much more……

There have also been reports that the movie includes a yet
undisclosed clip of the 2004 Tsunami that was captured with
a handycam by an individual in Indonesia.

The
technicians are world-class but the man who coordinates
them all, is the captain, the director-K.S.Ravikumar.
He is the master of entertaining cinema, always hitting
the right chord with audience. To put it simply, he
is a genius who has his hand on the pulse of the people
and that’s why his films rarely fail and when
equipped with a Kamal script and provided with a team
that is nothing less than the best in the world, he
can work wonders.

But who made this dream come true. The vision was Kamal’s,
the execution was KSR’s and the team with him
was fantastic, but without Aascar Ravichandran, things
might have been a lot more difficult. Shooting in more
than 10 locations in India, USA, Singapore etc., getting
the best technicians in the world, having complete faith
in the makers’ dream and warding off all troubles
that keep coming when something so big is made, Aascar
has been the perfect producer.

And, even when it comes to the release, Aascar is proving
once again why it is one of the biggest names in South Indian
cinema. 1000 prints overall, an overseas release that could
give jitters to even a Hollywood film and publicity that no
one can miss. Dasavatharam is as much Aascar’s dream
as it is Kamal’s.

Dasavatharam is a team effort, a team of professionals who
loved cinema and shared a dream. The dream unfolds on screen
in a few days. Indian cinema will be done proud.